A pair of glasses recovered from the Mill Street scene where homicide victim James Satre was found on Oct. 11, 2017. A DNA expert testified Thursday that samples taken from the glasses contained the genetic profiles of both Satre and the man accused of killing him, Robert Hoefman.
An expert testified to DNA samples matching both a murder suspect’s and homicide victim’s genetic profile found on evidence collected in the investigation, during testimony at Medicine Hat Court of Queen’s Bench Thursday.
Robert Hoefman is accused of the first-degree murder of 63-year-old James Satre on Oct. 10, 2017. The 59-year-old is also facing charges of extortion of another individual who can’t be identified due to a publication ban.
RCMP DNA expert Linda Rhodenizer went through a number of DNA samples collected during the 2017 investigation.
DNA from two envelopes connected to the extortion were found to have Hoefman’s genetic profile.
A pair of glasses recovered from the Mill Street crime scene of where Satre was found dead on the morning of Oct. 11, as well as a clothing recovered from a common space of where Hoefman lived, had DNA profiles of both men.
Rhodenizer calculated the certainty of the samples taken from the recovered items matching those of Satre and Hoefman to be in the quadrillions to one.
Earlier testimony heard Hoefman’s mother-in-law and daughter testify the man had lost his glasses. The mother-in-law testified to believing the glasses had been lost prior to Oct. 9, while Hoefman’s daughter wasn’t sure when they had gone missing.
The court also had heard earlier in the trial about the jacket being found in a cabinet in a common space at the building Hoefman lived in.
While other genetic material was found from other individuals on exhibits sent for analysis, they were not in sufficient quantities to create DNA profiles, testified Rhodenizer.
MHPS Sgt. Ryan Thorburn took the stand and testified as to how closely police had been tracking a former business associate of the extortion target.
Thorburn told the court of surveillance of the suspect and that police were preparing plans for a covert entry into that individual’s home.
Police were also developing plans as to how to handle the suspect should a hostage situation arise.
That suspect ceased to be a person of interest a week after Hoefman’s Nov. 8, 2017 arrest, Thorburn told the court.
Under cross-examination, defence lawyer Ian McKay continued the probing as to why one of the police investigators who had friendly ties with the suspect was allowed to continue to be on the case.
Thorburn testified that the investigator provided an intelligence report on the individual with plans to have the officer conduct negotiations should the suspect be involved in taking hostages.
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday.
